Tag: Honda

HPD working to accommodate additional IndyCar supply requests

Honda Performance Development has been clear in its preference on limiting its NTT IndyCar Series supply to 16 full-time teams next season. With the decision by Chip Ganassi Racing to add an extra entry to its stable for rookie Kyffin Simpson, …

Honda Performance Development has been clear in its preference on limiting its NTT IndyCar Series supply to 16 full-time teams next season. With the decision by Chip Ganassi Racing to add an extra entry to its stable for rookie Kyffin Simpson, questions have been raised about whether providing a fifth lease for CGR has come at the expense of another Honda-powered team like Andretti Global, which is pondering a reduction from four cars to three, or other teams that might want to expand in 2024.

“The truth is, we’re still trying to sort everything out because it is that time of year, but we would not pull engines away from other people where we’ve agreed to support them,” HPD president David Salters told RACER. “That’s not fair. Obviously, Chip and CGR do an awfully good job, and all the quality people there is stunning.

“So from our point, anything we can do to help CGR, we’re all-in because they are extremely good. And then it’s always nice to see younger people coming into the series and there’s some good talent we’re going to have among the drivers, which is great.”

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Salters expects to have more clarity on exactly how many season-long entries it will support in the coming weeks.

“It’s tricky, and we don’t want to just go for lots and lots of engines because we’re here to be competitive, but plainly, we’re trying to help teams and we’re trying to help the series,” he said. “No good deed goes unpunished normally, but we’re busily trying to figure it out at the moment and there won’t be any silliness. We’re just trying to accommodate people as best we can, so we’ve got to balance all that stuff out and we’re getting closer to knowing what the answer will be.”

Assembling an HPD Civic Si FE1 touring car

Go inside Honda’s Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio and find out what goes into putting together one of HPD’s Honda Civic Si FE1 touring cars. https://player.vimeo.com/video/845020304

Go inside Honda’s Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio and find out what goes into putting together one of HPD’s Honda Civic Si FE1 touring cars.

Graham Rahal closing in on Honda IndyCar start record

Graham Rahal is close to becoming Honda’s record holder for all-time IndyCar starts and joins RACER’s Marshall Pruett to discuss his career-long association with the Japanese auto manufacturer. Or CLICK HERE to watch on YouTube. Presented by: …

Graham Rahal is close to becoming Honda’s record holder for all-time IndyCar starts and joins RACER’s Marshall Pruett to discuss his career-long association with the Japanese auto manufacturer.

Or CLICK HERE to watch on YouTube.

Presented by:

RACER’s IndyCar Trackside Report at Road America is presented by Skip Barber Racing School.

With multiple locations in the US, Skip Barber Racing School has developed more winning racers than any other school. Their alumni have taken the podium in all facets of motorsports including NASCAR, INDYCAR, SCCA, World Challenge and IMSA. Click to learn more.

His focus on a Monaco win, Alonso sets future plans aside

Fernando Alonso promises to “attack more than any other weekend” as he feels he has a chance to win the Monaco Grand Prix, but left unclear whether he’ll still be racing for Aston Martin when it partners with Honda in 2026. Aston Martin has …

Fernando Alonso promises to “attack more than any other weekend” as he feels he has a chance to win the Monaco Grand Prix, but left unclear whether he’ll still be racing for Aston Martin when it partners with Honda in 2026.

Aston Martin has struggled with straight-line efficiency compared to Red Bull, but the low-speed nature of Monaco reduces the impact of that deficit. With Red Bull also enjoying a bigger advantage in races than in qualifying, the importance of grid position in Monaco opens up the potential for a slower car to hold on if out in front, and Alonso admits that’s on his mind.

“We are not thinking we are the strongest in Monaco — I don’t think it’s going to be a huge change compared to Baku, which is still a street circuit,” Alonso said. “I think Ferrari was outstanding in Baku — we could see another great weekend for them here — but then if I tell you that I don’t come here thinking that I can win the race, I would be lying to you.

“This is a one-off opportunity — we know Monaco, Singapore, there are specific racetracks where you need to gain the confidence in free practice, get closer and closer to the walls, and I will attack more than any other weekend, yes.

“There are couple of weekends like this one that I come here thinking that I will try to win. Maybe it’s our worst weekend and we are out of the points — you never know, it is a very specific circuit — but there are these kind of one-off opportunities that you try to maximize.

“We saw a gearbox failure for Max (Verstappen) in Saudi in Q2; we had problems in Checo (Perez)’s car in Australia all through free practice and qualifying, so if one of those things happens on a Sunday, automatically you close the gap massively and it starts to be more interesting. So the championship is long and we will not give up.”

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Honda’s full works manufacturer return with Aston Martin led to questions about the Japanese manufacturer working with Alonso again in 2026 — saying it “will have no objections whatsoever” if he’s still racing at that time — but the Spaniard says it’s too far in the future for him to consider.

“I don’t know what I will do in 2026. I would be lying if I tell you that I know right now. For sure I feel fresh, I feel motivated now, I feel sharp, still fast, and if I keep enjoying I would love to keep racing. But I know that one day I will wake up and I will not feel maybe motivated or happy to keep traveling and all these kind of things. Or maybe I don’t feel fast and I will be the first one to raise my hand and say maybe it’s time.

“Let’s see. I think it’s a long way until 2026. I will focus first of all in Monaco, now, because I think it’s an important weekend, and then this season. The next one, hopefully we can make another step and fight for bigger things.

“And then racing again with Honda, no, it’s going to be no problem at all from my side. I know that it didn’t work out last time in 2015, ’16, ’17. It was even worse maybe for some of my teammates like Stoffel (Vandoorne) or whoever, coming from dominating F3, F2 and then joining the project that maybe was not fully ready back then. But I think they proved that they have a competitive package now. They won the championship in ’21, they won the championship in ’22, most likely will win the championship in ’23, so I think they now have a very strong package. It’s a new set of regulations but I think it will be a very exciting project, for sure.”

Losing Honda ‘a shame’ for Red Bull – Verstappen

Max Verstappen admits losing Honda is “a shame” for Red Bull after the announcement this week that the Japanese manufacturer will work with Aston Martin from 2026 onwards. Red Bull and Honda ended Mercedes’ domination with Verstappen’s drivers’ …

Max Verstappen admits losing Honda is “a shame” for Red Bull after the announcement this week that the Japanese manufacturer will work with Aston Martin from 2026 onwards.

Red Bull and Honda ended Mercedes’ domination with Verstappen’s drivers’ championship in 2021, and followed that up with both titles last season. Currently leading the two championships again this year, the partnership continues with Honda providing technical support to Red Bull Powertrains, but following its decision to pull out as a full supplier two years ago, Red Bull made different plans with Ford from 2026 before Honda confirmed its return.

“I think from our side, of course, it’s a bit unfortunate how all of that turned out,” Verstappen said. “Because a few years ago, they said, ‘We’re gonna stop,’ so then Red Bull sets up its own engine division, and then at one point they said, ‘No, we continue.’ Unfortunately, once you’re already in the process of building a whole engine yourself, you can’t really work together anymore.

“It’s a bit of a shame, I would say. We always have and had a really good relationship with them, and then seeing them go to Aston Martin is a bit of a shame. But I mean, we are also very excited from our side from 2026 onwards to see what’s going to happen together with Ford.

“It is what it is. A few years ago, we thought they were gonna leave, now they stay and they go with Aston Martin. For Aston Martin, it’s really good — they have a great engine, we all know that.”

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The Monaco circuit doesn’t play to Red Bull’s strengths, but Verstappen is ready to take things as they come. Andy Hone/Motorsport Images

Of more immediate concern, Verstappen is wary Red Bull’s run of victories could come to an end in Monaco, where its high-speed and low-drag strengths are not played to by the circuit layout.

“I think it’s gonna be a little bit more difficult and closer together. But we still have a good car, just trying to extract the most out of it,” he said. “We know that over one lap it’s normally not our strongest point, but nevertheless, we still took quite a few pole positions this year, so it’s still all possible. But, for sure, here in Monaco can always be quite a surprise.

“It’s not only the car, it’s the track layout. The corners are so tight, so slow, that you sometimes require a lot of different behavior from the car compared to normal tracks and also the way you have to drive it. Sometimes your car works perfectly for these kinds of conditions and sometimes it’s maybe not ideal.

“I prefer to have a quick car for most of the tracks; it’s not ideal for Monaco, but it’s OK. It’s only one race on the calendar. We just want to have a good result. I want to win, of course, but if that is not the case, I’ll just take the points.”

F1 chief notes move to sustainable fuel was key to Honda return

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says Honda and Aston Martin will form an “exciting partnership” that is testament to the direction the sport is taking with power units. Honda has confirmed it will return to F1 as a full works supplier to Aston …

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says Honda and Aston Martin will form an “exciting partnership” that is testament to the direction the sport is taking with power units.

Honda has confirmed it will return to F1 as a full works supplier to Aston Martin from 2026 onwards, having stepped back at the end of 2021 to be currently providing technical support to Red Bull Powertrains. Part of Honda’s reasoning is the move to a 100% sustainable fuel and increased electrical output as part of the new regulations, something Domenicali says is proving popular with manufacturers.

“It is great news for Formula 1 that Honda will partner with Aston Martin to supply power units from 2026,” Domenicali said. “This is further evidence that our global platform and growth provides brands with huge potential, and it also shows that our plans to move to sustainable fuels in 2026 is the right approach to offer the automotive world alternative solutions to decarbonize the planet.

“We can all see the incredible commitment Aston Martin has made to our sport and we can’t wait to see the exciting partnership in action, and I want to congratulate both parties on this exciting news.”

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Honda joins Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull Ford Powertrains, Alpine and Audi as power unit manufacturers with confirmed partnerships for 2026 with Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) president Koji Watanabe saying it found a team in Aston Martin that shares its desire to win titles.

“The Aston Martin Formula 1 team and Honda share the same spirit, and together, we will take on this new challenge,” Watanabe said. “In this project, HRC will design, develop and manufacture the power unit optimized for Aston Martin’s F1 chassis configuration, and supply it to them. And Aston Martin F1 team will design, develop and manufacture the chassis, as well as handling the team management.

“Aston Martin F1 is a team with a lot of momentum, including a construction of a new factory, and they are currently working on various measures to strengthen the team to strive for winning the F1 championship title. As they have given the high marks to our F1 power unit technology, and we can relate to the attitude, and also a strong passion to win, we decided to work together and strive for the championship title as Aston Martin Honda.”

Honda has “great confidence” in engines despite overnight changes

A trio of overnight engine changes kept the Chip Ganassi Racing and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing crews working late into Friday evening. Motor swaps for Scott Dixon’s No. 9 Honda, Alex Palou’s No. 10 Honda, and Jack Harvey’s No. 30 Honda were …

A trio of overnight engine changes kept the Chip Ganassi Racing and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing crews working late into Friday evening.

Motor swaps for Scott Dixon’s No. 9 Honda, Alex Palou’s No. 10 Honda, and Jack Harvey’s No. 30 Honda were required – the need for Harvey’s change was obvious after the Briton suffered an engine failure in the final minutes of Friday’s practice session, but the two for CGR were precautionary based on a known problem Honda Performance Development has been monitoring and managing among its fleet of 17 cars at the Indianapolis 500.

“A few weeks ago, we identified a supplier part issue that has caused some engine problems,” a Honda representative told RACER. “We have already implemented a countermeasure. But, because the engines are built well in advance of each race, we’re now seeing some of this surface on track.”

Winners of the last three Indy 500s, Honda-powered drivers have paced the three days of practice leading into this weekend’s run for pole position at the 107th edition of the great American race.

“With that said, We have great confidence in the 17 Honda engines that will attempt to qualify today for the Indy 500,” the Honda rep added. “And we’re looking forward to trying to win our fourth straight Indy 500 next Sunday.”

Using his new engine, Palou posted the third-fastest lap during the morning practice session with a run to 232.823mph; Arrow McLaren’s Tony Kanaan led the group with a 233.026mph fast lap in his No. 66 Chevy.

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DAZN pushing for fight between Ryota Murata and either Canelo

Ryota Murata could be in line for a big fight against one of DAZN’s tentpole middleweights in Canelo Alvarez or Gennadiy Golovkin in 2020.

DAZN’s great appetite for subscribers may net Ryota Murata a big fight against either Gennadiy Golovkin or Canelo Alvarez in 2020.

According to a Yahoo! Japan report, DAZN is pushing for a matchup that pits one of their flagship fighters against the Japanese middleweight star because of stalled subscriber growth in its U.S. market.

The report’s sources also say that DAZN did not have the surge that they expected in Alvarez’s last fight in November, against Sergey Kovalev.

All of which makes both Golovkin and Alvarez realistic possibilities next year for the 33-year-old Murata, perhaps the most active high-profile professional boxer in Japan.

DAZN, which has exclusive rights to Golovkin and Alvarez, also has a relationship with Murata. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist fought for DAZN Japan one time, an upset loss to Rob Brant last year.

DAZN’s stalled growth in the U.S. could be a boon to Ryota Murata in Japan. Murata is pictured celebrating his victory over Steve Butler. AP Photo / Toru Takahashi

Murata is coming off a fifth-round technical knockout of Steven Butler last week. The victory capped a marked turnaround for Murata, who began the year by avenging his loss to Brandt. Afterward, his promoters – Teiken’s Akihiko Honda and Top Rank’s Bob Arum – both expressed their desire to see Murata fight either Golovkin or Alvarez in 2020, ideally before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Yahoo! Japan also reported that Golden Boy executive Roberto Diaz said Murata is definitely on the table for Alvarez. And Canelo said during the DAZN streaming of the Andy Ruiz-Anthony Joshua rematch in Saudi Arabia that he would consider fighting in Japan.

Should the fight happen, it would most likely take place at 168. An Alvarez-Murata fight at the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome could rival a fight between Alvarez and either Billy Joe Saunders or Callum Smith in England.